Tirumala, Nov. 6 -- Indian chess grandmaster and reigning World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju visited the Tirumala temple in Andhra Pradesh on Friday to offer prayers to Lord Sri Venkateswara Swamy ahead of his upcoming title defence at the FIDE World Chess Championship 2026.

The 20-year-old grandmaster sought the blessings of the deity at the revered shrine atop the Tirumala hills in Tirupati district as he prepares for a challenging contest against Uzbekistan's Javokhir Sindarov.

Gukesh is scheduled to defend his world championship crown in a 14-game classical chess match against Sindarov from November 24 to December 12, 2026. The contest will take place at the Fondation Martin Bodmer in Cologny, Geneva, Switzerland.

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